Trump, Clinton ready to spar on economy

Posted: 8:28 pm Sunday, August 7th, 2016

By Jamie Dupree

In a campaign that has for the most part lacked extensive debates on policy details, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will take time this week before the Detroit Economic Club to lay out their competing thoughts on economic growth.

Trump will speak in Detroit on Monday, while Clinton will get her chance before the same group on Thursday.

“Donald Trump plans pivot to economy,” read the headline on Sunday from the Wall Street Journal, which was a welcome change from what has been maybe the most turbulent week in his bid for President, when Trump repeatedly battled with other Republicans, leaving himself off message for a number of days.

“Donald Trump’s no good, horrible, very bad week,” was how the Clinton campaign labeled it on Twitter.

Trump has tried to find some solid ground by going after Clinton and the news media in recent days:

I am not just running against Crooked Hillary Clinton, I am running against the very dishonest and totally biased media – but I will win!

One of Trump’s economic plans has raised eyebrows among Republicans, as Trump has talked about an even bigger plan than Hillary Clinton to rebuild roads, highways and bridges – upwards of $1 trillion.

Much smaller plans have been repeatedly put forward by President Obama, but Republicans in Congress – and even Democrats – have shied away from approving infrastructure plans that have been as small as $50 billion.

The two candidates though will be in much different places when they speak this week on tax cuts, as Trump is expected to lay out the biggest tax reductions since the Reagan Administration.

Democrats, though, have made clear their opposition to deep tax cuts, arguing it is benefiting the wealthy in America, not those looking for work.

And Clinton will get to make those points in what basically amounts to part economic speech, part rebuttal later in the week.

Trump backers had thought that their candidate would have a distinct advantage over Clinton on the economy, given that he is a businessman – but the polls do not show an edge at this point: